Shadow of a Sheikah
by Aeris Deathscythe
Summary: Zelda and Sheik are not the same person; she only borrowed his body. And when Zelda no longer needed him, he disappeared, only to return seeking vengeance. But yet another shadow haunts his quiet footsteps... SheikZelda
1. Awake

AN: Ehehe. So here I am again, with a new Zelda story while the other ones remained unfinished….Please don't hurt me…The other stories will be finished soon. They need to be, since a new Zelda game comes out in February. It looks amazing. So this story is a Sheik/Zelda story. I may pair Link with someone as well, but I haven't decided yet. It will not, however, be Malon.

PROLOGUE: Forgotten

He crept forward as silent as the night, one foot stepping lightly in front of the other. The man was nothing more than a shadow, slipping between darkness and light, his ruby eyes shining eerily in the glow of the torch's flame. No one would see him unless he wanted them to, so no one would.

For a year he had been forgotten, or, seeing as time had gone forward and swept back again, it had been eight years and not just one. He could remember what many could not; the destruction of Hyrule and the struggle of the Hero of Time. The hero had even met him on more than one occasion. Link had seen his body, heard his voice….learned from him.

But it was not him. It was Zelda.

He had given her his body to use as a weapon and a tool for survival. And when she had cast him aside in those final moments, there had been only endless black. There had been no wind, no sound….nothing. He had only his thoughts to keep him company, thoughts filled with screams of betrayal and anger.

And then a door had opened. It had been the only light he'd seen in his shapeless prison; a rectangle of light waiting for him to step through. Somehow, he had.

Emerging as a wreck of a man, he had spent weeks recovering. Not physically, for his body remained in perfect shape, but mentally. There was an unquenchable fury in his soul matched by the anguish in his heart for being forgotten, and the madness in his mind for being alone for so long.

How could she have done this to him? He had thought…no…of course not…She had used him only to survive, to help the Hero of Time, to lead Hyrule to victory. Why would she care for a Sheikah except to steal his name?

Sheik, for that name was rightfully his, continued running down the castle corridor, as quietly as a cat. He would see that revenge was taken.

There were only nightmares now. There had only ever been nightmares. Once, when she had submitted herself to a blissful sleep there had been dreams, hope.

But this night, the princess Zelda sat awake, her blanket clutched to her chest as her tears streams freely down her cheeks. What hope was there for her now? She remembered everything that had happened. Ganondorf had taken over Hyrule, and Link had defeated him. And then they had returned to the seven years before and had grown up all over again. Except, this time, Zelda had done it alone.

Link, of course, visited her frequently and had become a knight of Hyrule, but it was not the same. He was her dear friend, but he could never replace, and was not meant to replace…

Zelda stifled a sob. She had tried so hard…But there had been nothing she could do to rescue him. And no one, save Impa and herself knew what had happened to him. All that anyone knew was that at the age of thirteen, Sheik of the Sheikah had disappeared.

AN: Yeah, very short, I know. I wanted to see if there was any interest first. If people want more, the chapters will be longer. So, what does everyone think? REVIEW!!!!


	2. The Decision

AN: So here I am again with an update. I've left every one of my stories hanging, but I've been having an extremely rough time with life. It seems to suck a lot. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, short as it may be.

Chapter Two: The Decision

Running away, leaving her kingdom behind just as tragedy would befall it and leaving her last hope in the hands of a young boy….It was a memory that Zelda would never forget, that would always remain in the depths of her mind to be recalled during the most unexpected moments, or during the worst of her nightmares. There were other scenes of horror that one could claim to be worse than simply galloping away on a horse, running from the king of evil….such as memories of Link being cast down, his blood splattering on the ground before his body even reached it….

But worse still were the cold memories, the kind that should not have come to be seen as terrible reminders…the kind that started simply as bittersweet, gradually losing their warmth as time went on. Those were the memories that froze within her, each icy connection to her other thoughts filling her with cold, emptiness and dread.

It was much worse for Zelda to close her eyes these past months than to notice a drop of Link's blood staining his shirt, or to remember how a castle portrait had fallen, frame shattering, during the war. No…Closing her eyes she could see his smile…..

Sheik had always been a mystery to her. Three years older, which made a big difference when one was only ten, he had never treated her like a child. He showed the same respect to everyone, treating young and old, male and female, peasant and royalty, the same. There was a seriousness to his nature that Zelda could not define. Of course, all of the Sheikah had a certain oddity to them that came only from being what they were, but Sheik…he was different. Impa said that her nephew was gifted, more so than she had ever seen before, and while the princess noted that the Sheikah listened to all views and opinions no matter who it came from, they seemed to listen more closely whenever Sheik chose to speak. He seldom did, and maybe that was why the hush seemed quieter whenever he deemed it fit to add his remarks.

Impa claimed that he spoke more freely to her, his aunt, than anyone had ever seen him, but the princess found it hard to believe. He may have spoken frequently to Impa, but he hardly said two words to Zelda, not that she ever noticed. They got along perfectly without words, but whenever there had been a need for them they had been used. At first, Zelda had done everything she could to hear him speak, and when he had finally done so, it was a fierce, commanding, 'knock it off'. And eventually she grew to like his silence, though by her sixteenth birthday she found herself longing to hear even the smallest of words.

He was her unofficial trainer, for while she learned the basics of Sheikah wisdom and fighting from Impa, it was Sheik that taught her the most of what she knew. After Impa had finished her teachings for the day, Zelda would practice long into the night, and Sheik would be there with her. At first, he would merely execute something she had been trying to do, and failing at, or simply do it much faster than her and with more ease. He challenged her. But then they grew to be friends, and he strove to help her meet her potential.

When it was suggested that she use her wisdom and strength to help the Hero of Time, she was ready and willing, eager even. But the Sheikah decided that it was too risky to simply just pose as a Sheikah. What if she were caught? Her mind could be preserved through their magic, but her body? She would need to be someone else, someone strong, someone willing to sacrifice themselves if need be, someone who wouldn't be bothered by another soul living in place of theirs.

Sheik had stepped forward. He was the epitome of everything the Sheikah strived for, and if anyone could handle such a task it would be he. Zelda had fought against it immediately.

"You know the risk, Sheik…And wouldn't you be better suited in your own body by yourself? Should something go wrong, you'll be needed." Zelda's voice was pleading, her bright blue eyes anxious.

"Nothing will go wrong if you use me," Sheik replied. He had a voice on the edge of deepness. It was low and utterly male, but there was a note to it that promised, or threatened, that whoever was listening would fall into a chasm of impenetrable darkness, though they never did.

"No." Zelda shook her head. "I can't let you."

"Why not? You would prefer to use someone else? Because it risked my safety?" he questioned, coming as close as they ever had to admitting that there might be something more between them than friendship.

The princess looked away, closing her eyes against the flood of emotions that threatened to burst from her heart. "I'm not saying that one life is worth more than another," she began slowly, knowing that her words rang false even to her own ears, "but each person has a place. And yours is here."

She looked back up at him then, her blue eyes shielded with determination. "As your princess, I command you to protect Hyrule in my stead." Head held high, her shoulders back, her stance was one that would hold no hope of compromise.

"No," Sheik replied coldly and her breath caught in surprise. No one had ever refused a royal command before. "You will use me, _princess_." The term of respect was said mockingly, and it wasn't the first time that Zelda realized just how formidable a presence her Sheikah friend was. He towered over her by at least half a foot, and though his body was slim it was comprised of muscles honed to protection. He was a powerful warrior, and Zelda found her heart beating fast in her chest.

"You defy my order?" she asked, her voice betraying her nervousness, as did her step backwards. Sheik crossed his arms, looking defiant.

"I do."

"I could have you killed for that."

Sheik cocked his head and held open his arms expectantly. "Do as you will, highness, though I doubt you would destroy one of your own warriors during this time of trouble just for disobeying an order. And neither do you have the heart for it."

Zelda stared at him for a long moment as he kept his arms wide, waiting. He was right on that point, she could not deny that. In truth, she was soft on her people, but she did not consider that a weakness. She gained respect from her people through kindness, not through fear. But how could she allow Sheik to be her host body, to let her send his consciousness to some other realm while her own body was kept whole in her own mind, by the powers granted to her by the goddesses?

There was no telling if he would be able to come back, but he was also the best choice for the mission. He was the strongest, the fastest of the Sheikah, and Zelda's best hope for successfully helping the boy who held Hyrule's fate in his hands.

But she couldn't imagine losing him.

Again she was forced to weigh her own wants against her duty as Hyrule's princess, and found that once again she would do as was best for her people.

"Alright. I will use you." The ringing finality in those words, of a fate now sealed, nearly swept Zelda into tears, and down Sheik's arms fell to his sides as he nodded to her, not knowing of her inner turmoil.

"Hyrule will be saved."

_Hyrule be damned_, Sheik thought, his fingers gently trailing the length of the stone wall in one of the castle's many corridors. There was a soft click abruptly as he found the right stone, and a door opened in the wall to let him through into the secret passage.

Down the dark hall he went, soundlessly. The passage would lead to Zelda's personal room, and only he and a few others knew of it. The time he had spent in Zelda's mind had let him learn the passages well, as if he had been down them himself many times, and he turned left then right instinctively without pause despite the darkness.

Eventually he reached the end of the passage, to a seemingly dead end. Running his hands across the width, Sheik quickly found the trigger, and the door magically and silently opened, giving him a view of a dark blue curtain that hung down to the floor. He was in Zelda's room.

AN: So I hope you liked this chapter, and if so, leave a review! Honest critiques are welcome, though flames will be ignored because flames are stupid. Anyway, you know what to do, review!


	3. Polarity

AN: Yeah yeah, I haven't updated in like, two years. I'll tell you though, life's been...rough. But now I think I'm finally ready to begin writing again. I hope all of you are still with me, and ready to review. Thanks for waiting. :)

Chapter Three: Polarity

Sheik stepped forward quietly, the tips of his toes brushing lightly against the curtain that surrounded Zelda's bed. He reached one hand out to grasp the edge, his body taut with anticipation.

A gasp stopped him short before he could yank the cloth backwards to reveal his presence. His eyes searched the room quickly for the source, and seeing no intrusion, he leaned his head closer to the curtain, certain that the sound had come from none other than Zelda herself. He heard what sounded like sobs, shortened gasps accompanied by moments of silence in which he knew she would be unsuccessfully trying to reign in her tears; like she always would do the few times she had been brought to them.

The realization sent a pang through his heart, which was instantly quelled by fury. How dare she summon pity from him? How dare she make him hesitate in his will? She was the one that had abandoned him, dropped him like some worn-out uninteresting toy that she had grown tired of.

With an almost silent growl of rage he threw back the curtain, the heavy fabric forcing the metal rings that held it up to scratch painfully against the poles it hung from. Zelda sat up immediately, her eyes red and bright, her face streaked with tears.

And she stared at him, wordless and unblinking.

He stared back, his rush of anger vanishing instantly, his memories of happier times with her awakened once more. He felt weak, his arm dropping to his side, his shoulders falling slack.

"You...this can't be..." her voice was hoarse, slightly dulled, but thick with shock. Two fat tears dripped down her face as she tried to blink them back.

"What can't be? Me? Here?" he hissed violently, regaining his strength.

She shook her head slowly, looking dazed. "You're dead..."

He let out a harsh laugh. "Never. Just thrown away and forgotten."

She replied silently, her mouth moving to form the words but no sound coming out. He watched her, waiting to see what excuse she would come up with. Eventually she just blinked, a sob lurching to her throat. She turned, then, to bury her head within her pillow. Sheik caught a muffled, "Go away."

It was not the response he had expected, and he took a step back. "Go away?" he repeated, slightly incredulous.

"It isn't fair to torment me so..."

"Not FAIR?!" his voice rang out. His fist slammed out to hit the bed post, a quiet splintering replied as the whole bed shook. He heard footsteps running towards him then, and knew who it was before they even spoke.

"Zelda?!" The door crashed open, revealing the Hero of Time, clad in green pajamas. He held his sword in his left hand, ready, his shield out in the other.

Sheik lifted an eyebrow and Zelda shot up once more, startled. Seeing that the princess had not been harmed, Link stared at the Sheikah in surprise. "Sheik...?" he questioned with a tilt of his head, confused.

Princess Zelda's eyes widened at them both. "You...you see him too...?" she asked faintly. Link gave a short nod, his eyes still focused on Sheik. Slowly, Zelda crawled forward on her bed, her eyes trained on the Sheikah, never blinking.

"Don't touch me!" Sheik snarled, jumping back, as she reached a tentative hand out towards his arm. Instinct set in suddenly and he flung his right arm out, whipping a hidden dagger towards the wall. Zelda toppled backwards in shock as the weapon met its mark with a dull thud.

Sheik let out a harsh breath of air as his crimson eyes glared at his target. A small creature, barely reaching the height of his chest, squirmed and squealed, its chest pinned against the wall. It was black, with no visible eyes but small hands and feet and humanoid in shape.

Startled, Link stayed where he was, body tense and ready to fight.

"Creepy little darkness...swallowing up the light..."

Two confused blondes turned to glance at the speaker, his voice low and deadly as he stared at the thing. It shrieked in response, writhing in its painful prison, no blood seeping from its wound.

"Filed away like afterthoughts," Sheik continued, no higher than a whisper. "Thick with despair."

Link cautiously made his way around Sheik, over to the thing. Narrowing his eyes he inspected it then frowned. "Zelda...I need your help with this..."

She nodded slowly and slipped off the bed, barely noticing anything around her except for Sheik, who was focused on the creature, his eyes clouded. Kneeling down beside the intruder, she raised her hand carefully over it, a warm white light soon emitting from her palm. The creature let out a harsh scream as it was engulfed, soon vanishing without so much as a puff of smoke.

Zelda's eyes were soon back on Sheik, as his own seemed to clear then focus back on her. "Zelda," he said, in much the way he had always said her name; emotionless but with a touch of familiarity. Her knees trembled as she stood, one hand clutching the side of her silk nightgown as if she was uncertain of what to do with her hands.

"Sheik." Link's voice was deep and commanding as he took a step slightly in front of the princess, his weapon still up in defense. "What...was that?"

"I do not know," Sheik replied, without looking at him.

Link glanced between the two, eyes narrowed and frowning. Zelda was pale, uncertain, her eyes tormented yet full of hope. And Sheik...was completely unreadable.

"Your majesty!" a voice called out, and the echoes of armor clanging, plate boots ringing on the stone floor filled the hall and filtered into the room.

A sudden explosion of smoke had Link coughing and Zelda shielding her eyes, and when it vanished, two guards stood in her doorway, weapons drawn and looking anxious.

And Sheik was gone.


	4. Silver Lining

Link sighed heavily

Ever since Sheik had mysteriously appeared, apparently back from the dead, Zelda had been working nonstop to discover his whereabouts. She was using all of her power to discern how he had come back and where he was now, and what that strange creature had been. And she was tired.

It had only been a few hours, but it was still the middle of the night. It was also quite obvious that she was exerting more energy than she had available. So he watched her as she remained in her constant trance, watched her as he always had.

He had always protected her, always looked out for her. She...she meant a lot to him. He knew though, that her heart would never belong to him. And he could live with that. What he wanted was for her to be happy, and for himself to be happy as well. But it still hurt.

Link felt a pang of guilt. He knew Malon cared for him the way that he cared for Zelda, and Nayru knew he had tried to return the affection. But he couldn't. He just didn't feel that way about her. All he could do was understand how she felt.

"I found him," Zelda announced suddenly.

Link was torn out of his thoughts and he asked immediately, "where?"

Zelda's eyes were bright and alert now. "He stole a horse from Lon Lon Ranch and he's heading west through Gerudo Valley."

The Hero of Time frowned. "We can follow him tomorrow. You need to rest now." Inwardly he was dreading the journey. There was something terribly wrong with Sheik, and if Link's suspicious were correct, the Sheikah had come with decidedly ill intent. And that creature? Link was no novice when it came to danger, and neither was Zelda, but this was different. Her heart was too entangled, and if the end result proved to be failure he doubted she would be able to handle it.

There was too much stress on the princess as of late. Her father was getting older, and as such he had been pressuring her to find a suitable husband. The king wanted grandchildren before he was too old to enjoy them, and Zelda had to secure the bloodline. As such, suitors had been coming from all over in attempts to court her. A lot of other inconveniences that came along with being princess of Hyrule were also plaguing her. Laws, relations with other countries and everything else, everything minor, were things that she had to deal with.

She was doing a wonderful job of handling it, as he had expected her to, but he was the one that heard her cry at night. It wasn't often, but some nights were worse than others. And lately she had been having terrible nightmares. He knew she felt such terrible guilt, but a part of him was angry with her. It had been seven years. Shouldn't she have reconciled with her past by now? All it was doing was destroying her. She should have been stronger than that.

"We should go tonight. He'll gain too much of a lead."

Link's eyes darkened. "No. It's the middle of the night, you're tired. I'm tired. We'll go at dawn."

Zelda sighed and relented, her shoulders slumping. "You're right..." The princess solemnly stood up.

Link nodded and said sternly, "yes, I am. Now get some rest."

"At dawn, we'll go," she reaffirmed, watching him.

"At dawn," he agreed.

/

Sheik was lost in the Gerudo desert. His horse was gone; it had run away long before, and now he walked through by himself. It was really quite irritating. And why should he have followed that damn ghost anyway? He didn't want to go to the temple, he just wanted to go _away_. Well, truthfully he did have a destination, of sorts. He was was headed south, out of the sandy hellhole he was in and he would find out later where south had actually led him.

And maybe, just maybe, he would discover what exactly was following him. It wasn't physically there, otherwise he would have spotted it already, but there was still _something_. He wondered if he was going crazy, which made him laugh. Obviously he was. Those years alone would make anyone insane. But was the darkness he felt around him real?

It was, wasn't it? That creature, the black thing he had seen in Zelda's room. That was real, right? His head had gotten a little foggy. But Zelda and Link had seen it too, hadn't they? They had, of course. But why was it so hard to remember? No. No, he wouldn't think about Zelda. It was too confusing. One moment he was seeking revenge, the next he was utterly confused. The only option was to flee.

And this damn, bloody sand!! It was everywhere, in his eyes and mouth despite his cowl. And he was freezing. He shut his eyes and growled. After trudging several more steps, he opened them.

Sheik laughed maniacally then frowned. "The teacups were only meant for special occasions."

The dark, humanoid shape in front of him merely stared.

"Put it down!" Sheik cried, running forward to attack. The creature moved away, further into the storm. Sheik followed blindly, his head filled in murky confusion. What was he talking about? He gave chase for several more minutes before he found himself on the edge of a forest.

His prey vanished and he spun around. No darkness, no desert, only more forest behind him.

Sheik brought a hand to his head and sighed deeply. What was wrong with him? How had he gotten here? He knew he'd been chasing something, had said something. But he couldn't remember. Taking a breath, he looked up and took in his surroundings.

The trees were large, with thick trunks and dark, silvery leaves. The forest floor was covered in moss. Moonlight poured through the branches in several areas, illuminating the forests beauty. Sheik felt a great sense of peace eminating from the place, and allowed himself to relax.

He began to walk through. The moss was soft and comfortable under his feet and the further he walked in, the calmer he felt. He noticed that the tree leaves were gradually becoming more and more silver the further he went, until at the top of the ebony trunks and along the branches it was nothing but pure white.

That was when he heard the growling. Sheik frowned. He had allowed himself to be distracted and now, from what he could see, there was a pack of very large wolves circling him. They were fairly well hidden behind the trees, despite the light, but now he was well aware of where each one was prowling.

The first one attacked at full speed, jumping up and attempting to tackle him. Sheik dodged it easily, and then side-stepped the second attack. The wolves were unusual looking, with dark, almost black fur and just the hint of what seemed like some sort of gold aura.

A third attacked, then a fourth and a fifth. They snarled and lashed out with long dangerous claws and sharp teeth. But each one he dodged, flipping this way and that and blinding them with deku nuts. He refrained from outright killing them. They hardly posed a threat to him and to kill them would be meaningless unless otherwise.

Gradually, the beasts became tired, and realizing that their prey was not going to become as such, they slunk away. They still growled and kept their eyes pinned to Sheik, but they left him along, running off out of sight when they were far enough away.

"I know you're there," Sheik called out, up to the trees.

And he did. Someone had been watching his fight. He had sensed their eyes on him, but could not discern their location. He knew it wasn't a creature; his mind was crystal clear.

A girl, barely older than Zelda, dropped abruptly from the trees. She landed in a graceful crouch, one hand lightly touching the ground. Her hair was silver, cut short to her chin in a sharp angle, and her eyes were the most brilliant orange topaz he had ever seen. Her features were slightly exotic, and her clothes were as well. They were bright white to blend in with the trees; a sleeveless shirt that was bound underneath her chest to reveal a bare midriff, and a long skirt that hung on her hips. It had slits down the sides to reveal the loose fitting pants underneath, followed by a small pair of lightweight shoes.

Sheik tilted his head at the gorgeous young woman. For that was what she was. Gorgeous. His heart ached suddenly as Zelda's image flashed in his mind. The girl still couldn't compete with Zelda in his opinion. Of course, he wouldn't admit that he was biased.

The girl watched him warily, almost uncaringly. Her eyes were cold. She was fairly short, maybe only a little over five feet, and she was tiny. In his opinion, he thought she looked rather frail, like she would break at the slightest touch. That quickly changed when suddenly she was in front of him, a fist punching him hard in the gut and the other blowing a dark powder in his face as he gasped.

He blacked out.

AN: Heeeeeeeey all. Long time no see, aye? Hope you like this update. Yeah yeah, it's short, like all the others. Well, better than nothing, right? :D

Anyway, I posted this in my Zelda's Trial fic, but I'm gonna do it here too.

I need an artist. A friend is going to put together a website for me featuring my original stories, and I need someone to draw my characters as well as various scenes from the story. I then hope to go to a certain con and have a table in the artist's alley to promote my writing. Of course, it would most definitely promote the artist working with me too. :D

If you're interested, please message me. I'll take a look at some of your stuff, and if I like it, I'll have you look at some of my writing to make sure you like what I have as well. And then, I'll throw one of my characters at you to draw and see how it comes out. And we'll go from there.

This is something I'm completely serious about doing. Unfortunately, I can't draw. /cry

So let me know!

Oh yeah. REVIEW!!


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